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| CAN President Ayo Oritsejafor |
"Pastor Benny, of course, would have none of that and he is fighting back – within the system, as well as, spiritually. Exasperated, he was quoted in part as saying: “…hopefully these banks will come to their senses and start working with churches that are helping the communities. This church isn’t a business. This is my life. This is my calling. There are lives at stake.” But that is precisely, the problem: the church is not a business; the banks ARE! Money is the life of the banker, making money is his “calling”; profit, mouth-watering profit, is at stake! "
As we saw last time, Benny Perez, Pastor of the Church of Las Vegas is in a battle to save the church’s property from foreclosure. As a result of the sub-prime lending crisis which brought the world’s financial system to its knees three years ago, the value of the church’s property, bought largely with borrowed fund, plummeted 90%. Las Vegas, incidentally, was among the worst affected property regions of the world. The bank which provided the fund with which the property was bought wants to cut its loss and scram, with potentially disastrous consequences, including loss of the property and the huge funds already expended on it.
Pastor Benny, of course, would have none of that and he is fighting back – within the system, as well as, spiritually. Exasperated, he was quoted in part as saying: “…hopefully these banks will come to their senses and start working with churches that are helping the communities. This church isn’t a business. This is my life. This is my calling. There are lives at stake.” But that is precisely, the problem: the church is not a business; the banks ARE! Money is the life of the banker, making money is his “calling”; profit, mouth-watering profit, is at stake!
In sober moments, I am sure, even the pastor knows that it will take a miracle for him to save the church campus and have the necessary fund to continue his expansion project. I believe in miracles and I am joining him in prayer for one. This is because, within the system, as is, he doesn’t stand one tot of a chance!
Which was why, we ended the last piece on this stark note: “Yes, every system serves its originators and operators. The current banking system, whether in the USA or Nigeria, was not established to serve the Kingdom of God on earth. If it ever does help the church, it is accidental, and it’s got to be on its own terms. If those terms hurt us, the system owes us no apology!”
Now, it is against this background that we must consider our options. First, I must state that I am a believer in supernatural provision. I believe that it is possible to build church facilities debt-free; that is without recourse to borrowing of any kind. And what applies to churches applies to individuals, depending on your level of faith and on the sovereign choice of God in each situation. However, I know that, borrowing, while not being the perfect will of God, is well within his permissive will. If that is true, we need to ask ourselves whether churches and individual Christians should be left at the mercy of a system that is clearly designed for purposes that can only occasionally coincide with ours.
Two not so widely publicized contributions to the on-going debate on the controversial introduction of Islamic banking have, in addition to Bro William Eze’s all-important question to me on whether God was trying to say something to us through the controversy, have helped to point me in a definite direction, which I shall share presently. But first let’s read the contributions by these two Nigerians, one Christian, the other a Muslim, together.
In a piece titled, “A Moslem on Christian Banking” in a recent of edition of Leadership newspaper, a former press secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance and Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission counselled as follows:
“…Pastor Oritsejafor and his co-travellers clamouring against the introduction of Islamic banking should be advised to channel their energies towards ensuring the realisation of Christian banking in Nigeria that could be fashioned in line with biblical injunctions. Though Islamic banking system is globally recognised as a financial model for investment alternatives, the prohibition of usury or charging interest on loans as well as investment in prohibited goods and products are not only abhorred in the Quran but also have references from verses in the Bible. Some sections in the Bible that prohibit usury for instance in the King James version of the Bible include: Exodus 22:25-27, Leviticus 25:36-37, Psalm 15:1-5, Deuteronomy 23:19-20, Jeremiah 15:10 , Ezekiel 18:7-9, 17 and Matthew 25:27 just to mention a few. Though literatures on Islamic banking and finance are in their thousands, getting similar publications from the Christian perspectives should not be difficult to obtain.
“In fact the many Christian universities in Nigeria are not established to churn out graduates but to provide scholarly materials in various subjects. Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor should exploit those potentials and also engage scholars and intellectuals to work out the frameworks for Christian Banking in Nigeria. The Nigerian muslim will surely not object or condemn the initiative just like similar programmes and policies initiated and formulated by Christians.”
The second piece by a blogger who describes himself as “a Nigerian student that experienced Christianity first hand; from a religious family in South Western Nigeria; a student of science that developed special interest in philosophy and religions early enough to enable him discern some truth from falsehood” concluded his piece on the subject like this: “If your religion doesn’t have a way out for the poor, if your religion says virtually nothing about finance, if all you talk about in churches is how people will make fortunes (to deliver to your coffers anyway); then let the way of life that has a guidance, and is willing to help us stay…”
Food for thought, don’t you think? For instance, could a mortgage funding product run along Islamic Banking lines have been friendlier to Pastor Benny and the Church of Las Vegas? This leads inexorably to the questions that have been tugging at my heart since. Is there such a thing as Christian Banking? If there is, what are its main features; how does it differ from orthodox banking and why is it not being pushed as vigorously as Islamic banking is being promoted? If there’s no such thing as Christian banking, why isn’t there? Against the background of current experiences all over the world, shouldn’t there be Christian banking, if there isn’t? (CONTINUES)
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